Daily lens Report
Afghanistan’s Taliban government has intensified its control over digital communications, ordering a sweeping shutdown of high-speed fibre optic internet in multiple provinces. The move, directed by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, has left tens of thousands of Afghans without reliable connectivity for the past two days.
In Balkh province, authorities confirmed a complete ban on fibre optic services. “This measure was taken to prevent vice,” provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid announced on X, adding that alternative connectivity would eventually be provided. Similar restrictions have been reported in Badakhshan, Takhar, Kandahar, Helmand, Nangarhar, and Uruzgan provinces.
The crackdown has caused widespread disruption to businesses and personal communications. “If we don’t respond to emails from our clients in Dubai and India on time, we won’t be able to continue our business,” said Atta Mohammed, a marble contractor in Kandahar. “I haven’t slept a wink.”
Afghans now largely rely on slower, unstable mobile networks, which are also experiencing outages. For many, the shutdown has compounded economic difficulties in a country already struggling with isolation and poverty.
Officials defending the decision argue that online platforms pose moral and cultural threats. In Nangarhar, spokesman Qureshi Badloun said studies showed that internet applications were leading society “towards moral corruption” and warned that nationwide enforcement could follow.
The restrictions come less than a year after authorities had promoted Afghanistan’s 9,350-kilometre fibre optic network, built under previous Western-backed governments, as key to development and integration with global markets.
Since reclaiming power in 2021, the Taliban have steadily rolled out measures in line with their interpretation of Islamic law, tightening control over public life, education, media, and now digital access.
